That Distinctive Beauty of Yours
by decryption
Summary: A/U. It all started on a typical Saturday. *Rated M for safety*
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

I.

It's a Saturday when Kurt decided to get him to come with him and try the diner down the street. He knows it's crazy 'cause, like, the diner just opened _yesterday. _But then again he realizes that it's Kurt that he's dealing with, so it would be better for him to just oblige.

"Come on, Finn. You're walking too slowly!" Kurt mutters under his breath.

He doesn't speed up, though, which makes Kurt stop in his tracks and give him a look.

"Finn. _Walk faster._ Aren't you hungry? It's already —" Kurt checks his watch, "almost 12:30 pm."

He looks at Kurt stubbornly, "No, I'm not hungry. Besides, even if I am, I doubt that I'd go to that diner, 'cause their food probably sucks," he says, scrunching up his nose.

Kurt starts to walk again, which makes him do, too. "It wouldn't hurt to at least _try _their food." And with that, Kurt grabbed Finn's wrist and pulled him towards the door.

* * *

><p>II.<p>

There are few people eating in the diner when Kurt pushes open the door and enters, Finn following shortly.

Finn glances around while his stepbrother finds a good table.

Suddenly, a girl emerges out of the staff room.

He freezes. He totally knows that girl.

He pokes Kurt's shoulder. He's ignored, so he pokes again and again and again until Kurt turns to him, "What?" He snaps.

He points his finger at the girl (who is now examining her fingernails absentmindedly). Kurt's eyes widened, then.

"Is that…?" Kurt asks him almost incredulously. He just shrugs his shoulders. Quickly, Kurt walks past him, making his way towards the girl.

* * *

><p>AN: Hello, welcome to my first attempt at writing a fic! Hope you found it interesting.

Reviews are very much appreciated! :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**_  
><em>

_Quickly, __Kurt walks past him, making his way towards the girl._

Finn follows behind him.

"S-Santana? Santana Lopez?" Kurt tries once they were in front of the girl.

The Latina's head snapped up, her face immediately being etched with shock.

"Hummel?" She asks, eyes wide.

Kurt nods his head at a rather fast motion. It was just then that the Latina noticed Finn behind him.

"Finnocence!" She runs to him, giving him a tight hug. "What the hell brought the two of you in this diner?"

"I don't know, Kurt just dragged me here." Finn reasons.

Kurt glared at him. "Well, we simply wanted to try the place out," he replies. "Actually, Santana, I could return the question… What brought _you _here? Are – Are you a waitress here?"

Finn shifts uncomfortably — knowing Santana, those kinds of statements could easily offend her. And he does _not _want to make a Santana scene in this diner. Or, at least, not with these people being able to watch them.

To his surprise, though, the Latina laughs — she laughs so loud that she catches the attention of all people in the diner. "No, no," she laughs some more. "Actually, I, uh," she's serious now, kind of shy, even. "I own this place."

Kurt gasped and Finn's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Awesome," Finn remarks, smiling.

"Really? Wow, look at you!" Kurt says in awe. "Actually, I also run a business, as a fashion designer. And Finn here —" he points to the giant, "— owns a music shop."

Just when Santana opens her mouth to say something, the door opens.

"Hey San!" A girl, wearing a scarf and a hat, runs to Santana to give her a hug.

Santana grins widely. "Bitch! I thought you weren't gonna come today?"

"Wouldn't miss it. Besides, I already didn't make it yesterday, so it's only right for me to visit today." The girl replies. Finn can't really see her face, 'cause it's hidden by the scarf and hat.

"Guys," Santana says. "This is Rachel, my best friend-slash-housemate," Santana declares, beaming.

The girl — Rachel — turns to them. She removes her hat and scarf, and Finn freezes for the 2nd time of the day. He recognizes the girl, he'd seen her somewhere, he just can't remember _where, exactly._

Finn turns to see Kurt's reaction.

Whoa, his short stepbrother looks like he's about to faint.

"Oh. My. God." Kurt manages. "You're Rachel Berry. Rachel. Barbra. Berry." Kurt gushes, eyes wide. Finn stays silent, watching the scene unfold before him.

Rachel nods shyly, ducking her head.

Santana smirks, "Yes, she's Rachel Berry, and she knows who she is, Hummel. And yes, she's the same Rachel who works on Broadway and plays —"

"Maria in West Side Story!" Kurt squeals. "I know who she is!" Kurt now turns to Rachel, who is still looking down. "I – I'm a _huge_ fan!" He breathes.

Rachel looks up. "You – You are?" She asks, looking as if this is the first time that she heard a compliment from other people.

Finn studies her looks carefully. _She's beautiful _— he thought. She's petite, and she has long, dark-brown hair. Her lips are full and pouty. She has olive skin, and legs that go for miles. Her hair looks so silky, and he bets it's fragrant, too. He suddenly felt the urge to run his fingers through her hair and inhale its fragrance — but that's be _creepy_, so he stops himself. Sure, her nose is quite prominent above all her facial features, but it goes well with her beautiful big, chocolate brown eyes. He smiles a little, 'cause she's just _too damn beautiful._

Crap. She must have noticed him staring, 'cause now she ducks her head and a tint of red graces her face. _She's blushing — _he says to himself. She's so adorable.

Santana was the one to break the tension around them. "So, uh, Ray, this is Porcelain —" she gestures to Kurt, who narrows his eyes, "Kurt, I mean. Kurt Hummel. And this —" she turns to point at Finn, "— is Finnocence."

Rachel smiles genuinely at both of them. She turns to Kurt first.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, uhm, Kurt. Would I be seeing you a lot here?"

Kurt squeals happily, "If you wish."

She smiles widely, "Consider me your friend, then."

Kurt's jaw drops, "Oh gosh, I can't believe I'm befriending _the _Rachel Berry."

She blushes again. "Please, just Rachel, okay?" Kurt nods.

Then Rachel turns to him.

"Finn," he says, holding out his hand. "Finn Hudson. I – I'm Kurt's stepbrother."

"Oh?" she smiles politely then shook his hand, "Rachel." And Finn realizes just then how short she really is. She's wearing flats, so the top of her head barely reaches his chin.

"I know," he chuckles, and she slowly let go of his hand.

Her gaze once again falls on Santana, who is wearing a smug expression. "So, San, now that we know who's who, are you gonna feed us something or not?" she demands teasingly.

"Okay, _Princess Berry_, why don't you sit down while I find something good to _feed _you?" Santana replies with a roll of her eyes.

Kurt resumes his search for a table, only this time, Rachel is also following behind him, ready to join his and Finn's table.

* * *

><p>AN : Here we are, the second chapter. I'd be posting more soon! :)

Reviews are very much appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: For those who are reading this, thank you so much. Anyway, 3rd Chapter's here, enjoy! :)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

By the time they finished eating, the diner's almost packed. Finn finally remembered that, '_oh yeah, right, newspapers and TV, that's where I'd seen Rachel before',_ and Kurt and Rachel are now best friends, 'cause they both share an obsession for anything Broadway. They sat beside each other, across from Finn. Finn only joins their conversations whenever he feels like it, or when his opinion is needed (which is, like, never, but that's not really the point).

Anyway, he just listens to whatever Kurt and Rachel converse about, but every once in a while he'll catch himself staring at Rachel, dumbfounded. She moves her hands animatedly while she speaks, and Finn found himself fascinated by the tiniest of her movements.

"I can't believe you know _that _much about Broadway!" he hears Rachel say.

Kurt smirks. "Yeah, well, as you can see, Miss Maria of West Side Story, I watch almost every Broadway show, _and _I keep tabs on Barbra Streisand."

Finn sighs; he knows Barbra Streisand, he does, but he doesn't have that much knowledge about her. There are a lot of books and albums sold at his shop, too, and he sees Barbra on the covers of lots of them.

The people in front of him started another long conversation, and Finn continues studying Rachel (subtly, of course).

Rachel's really talkative. She really talks a lot, and she also uses lots of complicated words in her sentences. But Finn understands them; of course, he's not _exactly _the same guy he's been when he was in High School.

Still, he struggles to find words to describe Rachel other than beautiful and special. And hot. (What? He's a guy, so you can't really blame him for saying that. And he's being serious, Rachel's really hot.)

But anyways, Rachel's also enthusiastic. She's like this huge ball of positive energy that has the effect on everyone around her — like himself, for example. Whenever she laughs, Finn feels giddy, and he finds himself smiling at the sight of her. He finds it strange, though, that she has this unusual effect on him; he tries to ignore it.

She's also very, very passionate about her dreams, and maybe about everything else, really. She seems so inspiring, and very committed to her job. And also she's —

"Finn!" Kurt yells while Rachel giggles.

"Uh, what?" he asks dumbly. He suddenly felt embarrassed.

Rachel tries to contain her giggles. "You weren't really paying attention, huh?" she cocks an eyebrow at him, biting her lower lip, and Finn becomes mesmerized by such small action.

He shakes his head. Crap, this is kind of embarrassing. He mentally kicks himself because he probably looks like an idiot right now.

Rachel starts to smile at him, which makes him feel a tad bit better. "Well," she starts, "I was simply wondering if you would like to see my show later," she says slowly.

"Y-yeah. Yeah, s-sure," he stammers. "Uhm, is Kurt gonna be there, too?"

She looks at Kurt and mocks annoyance. "You see, Finn, that's actually the thing. Kurt here is _kindly _excusing himself because apparently, his boyfriend is 'coming over for dinner.' I tried to get him to bring the guy, but they 'sort of already got plans'."

He smiles for a moment, but then her words register.

Well, shit. Kurt's not gonna be there?

He reconsiders his answer, but he realizes that if he wants to know more about Rachel, he has to hear her sing and see her act.

"Oh," he manages. He looks over at her, staring at him expectantly. "Sure, what time would that be?" Honestly, how could he possibly say no?"

Rachel smiles broadly, so broad her face might split in half. "Thank you! And it's 8:00 this evening."

He's torn between nervousness and excitement. "Great, I'll be there, then," he tries to appear nonchalant.

"Wait —" Rachel says, "you don't have a ticket yet," she adds. "That means I'll have to see you first before the show starts."

"Whoops, guys," Kurt chimes in. "Sam texted saying he's on his way over. I guess that is my cue, I'll be leaving now. Bye, you two. Take care of Miss Berry, Finn, or a lot of her fans will haunt you." He kisses Rachel's cheek, stood up, turns and walks to the door.

"So…" Rachel starts. "I'll meet you later, Finn." She starts to stand up.

"Wait, how will you know when I'm there already?" he asks.

"Oh, right!" she sits back down. "Do you want to have my number?"

Finn's so surprised that he almost jumps at his seat. "You – you'd give me your number?" Holy crap. A celebrity is giving him her number.

She blushes lightly. "Yeah, if you want to have it, I mean.

"I want to!" Finn exclaims. "I – I mean, I'd want to have it. You know, to use later," he reasons. "Here," he grabs his phone and hands it to her.

Rachel takes his phone, put her number in it, captures a photo of herself (which Finn will _definitely _check later), and hands it back to him.

"There," she smiles. "Perhaps I should go now. I've got to rehearse before the play, but I'd see you later, okay?"

He nods. "Okay, I'll see you." She stands up, and Finn does, too. "Uh, should I — should I walk you to the theater?"

"Oh, no, no, I'll be fine." She assures.

Suddenly, she's on the tip of her toes, and she gently kisses his left cheek. He's surprised at the sudden action, but she doesn't seem to mind, and it's not like he's complaining or anything.

They stare at each other for a while; Rachel beaming up at Finn and Finn grinning broadly down at Rachel. "Thank you, Finn. I had a wonderful time with you and Kurt." She says as she puts her scarf on again.

He takes her hat from her hand and places it on top of her head. "There you go," he smiles. "I'll see you later, Rachel."

She nods her head and made a beeline to the door, and all he could do was stare after her.

* * *

><p>AN: Was it bad? I hope it was alright for you! I'm still having a little free time so I'm able to post every few days. But once busy school days start again I'd be posting only once or twice every 2 weeks.

Anyways thanks for reading, reviews are very much appreciated! X


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Finally, I've managed to pile things up together! I just got over my writer's block, so here you go! Enjoy! :)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

It's almost 7:30 that night and Finn hasn't texted or called her yet. She's getting a bit anxious, to be honest. Was he really planning to watch the show? Or was he just being polite when he said he would? Oh god, what if he thinks that she was too straight forward by asking him to come? Maybe he's gotten uncomfortable when she kissed his cheek?. No, that's not possible, 'cause it was just a simple gesture, right? Right…?

Her phone vibrated, signaling a text message. The number's unknown, but she reads the message anyways.

"_Hey, Rachel. This is Finn Hudson, from a while ago? :)"_

She smiles. Of course, how could she possibly forget?

"_I remember you. The tall brother of Kurt. ;)"_

His heart skips beat when she saw the winky-face she put at the last part of her reply.

"_Right. Anyway, I just wanted to inform you that I'm here already. Near the stage door, I think. The security told me to wait here."_

Oh, so he came, after all. Rachel smiles once more. She finds herself smiling at the very thought of Finn since they met this afternoon. She had been close to him and his brother, Kurt, because they seemed so nice and she feels like she can trust them. Plus, she has to admit, Finn is a great guy and _very _good-looking. She's kind of attracted to him, in fact. She shakes her head at the thought, typing back a response.

"_Great! I'd be there in a minute."_

She rushes off to where he is, and surely enough, when she opens the stage door, she saw his stature standing in front of her.

She can't help it; she launches herself to him, pulling him in and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Whoa, whoa," he says as he reciprocates the hug.

"You look fantastic!" she says as she pulls back and takes in his appearance. He mumbles a small "thanks" to her. "I can't believe you really came!"

She sees the corners of his lips slightly quirk up. "I said I would, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did, and I'm so happy you're here!" she claps her hands together; she can't help but be in a chipper mood, seeing as one of her friends is here to see her show. "By the way, here's your ticket for first row." She hands the ticket to him.

He nods, taking it. "Perfect," he grins dumbly at her, once again captivated by her sheer beauty. And speaking of beauty — "I see you haven't dressed for the play yet. It's already past 7:30, you know."

She gasps. "It is? Oh my gosh, I need to go back to the dressing room, then!" she says, visibly panicked. She fumbles a little with her purse and pulls something out. She hands that something to him.

"What's this? A 'free pass'?" he questions, confused.

"Yes. I mean, I figured it would be easier if you had one. If you have one of those they'll let you come inside and see me at my room. I'll meet you after the show!" she calls out before she takes off and runs to her dressing room.

He wants to throw his fist in the air or something, because apparently Rachel trusts him enough to give him a pass.

He keeps it and heads for the theater doors to go inside; adrenaline coursing through his veins.

* * *

><p>He shifts on his seat while waiting for the play to start. Damn, this suit sure is irritating, it makes him wonder why or <em>how <em>he even had one in the first place.

Someone snickers beside him. "Looking good, Hudson."

He turns his head to see Santana, smiling viciously. "Santana?"

"The one and only."

"Why are you here?"

"I'm gonna watch the show, idiot."

He isn't really offended by that remark, because that's just how Santana rolls, you know, and sometimes, she doesn't necessarily mean what she says.

"Anyway, why are _you _here?" she counters. "Shouldn't you be, like, closing your shop by this time of the night?"

"No, I have a friend who offered to run the shop today. And, uhm, I'm here because Rachel invited me to see this show and gave me a ticket."

She chuckles. "She did the same to me, begged me to come tonight, actually." Her chuckle eventually dies down and she gives him a curious glare. "Wait — so you got a thing for my girl now?"

His eyes widen. "Wh—"

"Look, Hudson, I don't really plan on being an obstacle to you and whatever you have for Berry, and I certainly didn't look forward to giving you this talk here in the _theater, _of all places," she began, "but I thought I should make it clear to you that just because I can't convince Rachel into Lesbianism, doesn't mean I don't care about her anymore. So if you do anything to hurt her, there's gonna be _hell_ to pay," she warns, voice deadly serious. She starts to sit back and relax, but suddenly adds in a concerned tone, "I also happen to know that you broke things off with that bitch, Quinn Fabray, just about a month ago, please don't tell me that you're planning on making Rachel your rebound, she's already been through a lot."

Been through a lot? He looks at Santana questioningly, but the girl refuses to meet his gaze. He's about to say something when all lights except the ones that illuminate the stage went out.

_Maybe the show's about to start _— he thought to himself. He shut his mouth and settled on his seat properly. Half his mind is focused on how lovely Rachel looks when she stepped on stage; the other half wondering what Santana could have possibly meant.

Well, guess there's more to Rachel Berry than what you can see.

* * *

><p>The play went perfectly, just the way Rachel hoped it would. Santana and Finn were there, and her performance with Jesse St. James (who plays Tony) was simply outstanding.<p>

She went to her dressing room to get changed and waits for Finn there.

* * *

><p>Finn quickly made his way to Rachel's dressing room. He figured she's done getting changed now since she texted him, saying he could see her already. He can't wait to give her credit for her excellent performance.<p>

When he finally reached it, he knocked on the door gently.

It swings open shortly, showing a happy Rachel that is changed out of her costume.

"Finn!" she squeals. She motions for him to come inside, and he does, and he made himself comfy on her little couch while she gets rid of the remaining jewellery on her body.

"You were amazing!" and she was, she herself can tell. But the compliment seems to be extra special because it came from Finn Hudson.

"Yeah?" she grins at him through her reflection in the mirror.

"Yeah. By far, you are my favorite singer," he says, winking at her reflection.

She feels herself blush furiously. What is it with this boy that makes her feel so bashful? She'd always been confident and never gets tired of compliments! She mutters a "thank you" and he just smiles.

Silence.

It's kinda awkward and kinda not, you know. And Finn takes this silence as an opportunity to ask Rachel a question.

"So, uh, are you heading home after you get rid of all that make-up?"

She contemplates her answer for a moment. "I don't know, I don't really have plans, why do you ask?"

He sits up and musters his courage to continue. This is his opportunity to get to know her more! "I was just, uhm, thinking – do you, maybe, want to go get coffee?" he manages to croak out the question, which is good enough.

She smiles blindingly. "I would love to! I'll just go get rid of my make-up and then we can go, okay?"

_Yes!_

He wants to jump and scream and do all that kind of stuff, but if he wants to impress Rachel Berry, he has to stay calm and wait here patiently until she's ready to go. So he just nods eagerly in reply.

* * *

><p><em>Reviews are <strong>very <strong>much appreciated!_

(And reviews are also the ones that motivate me to write, so...)

Haha! :)


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Been awhile, huh? I'm a busy beeeeeeee. Regardless, here you go! Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

She somehow managed to convince him into walking. He tells her that it's (obviously) faster to get a cab instead of walking, but she insists that it may be 'faster' with a cab, but it would be 'better' to walk. He doesn't get it, really.

Anyway, that's how they ended up on the sidewalk, slowly making their way to the coffee place.

"Are you sure you don't want to get a cab yet? 'Cause isn't Starbucks still, like, 5 blocks away?" he says, voice with a hint of childishness.

She giggles softly. "Of course I'm sure, Finn. How many times do I have to tell you?" She moves closer to him, her arm brushing his; he feels tingly from the contact.

"Well, I wouldn't want to make a lovely celebrity tired because I can't convince her to get a cab," he teases, nudging her side playfully.

She sighs. "Can we please just be ourselves tonight? Like, you'll be Finn Hudson and I'll be the simple Rachel Berry?" she requests.

"Alright, whatever you say."

She chuckles then shivers slightly.

"Hey, you okay?"

She gives a small nod. "Yeah, 's just a bit cold, is all." She replies as she rubs her palms together.

"Here," he offers, taking off his suit jacket. "Wear this for a while."

She doesn't protest as she takes the piece of clothing from him. "Thank you, Finn," she whispers, wearing the jacket.

He laughs after she put it on. "You look so _tiny_, Rach," he teases.

He's the first person to call her that. Santana and a few other close friends call her 'Ray', and others simply call her by her name. She figures 'Rach' is cute, and she likes it, too.

His words register, though, and she sends a glare his way.

"What? It's true." he defends, grinning.

She sticks her tongue out at him, which he finds downright adorable.

"Geez, thanks," she says drily.

"Hey, I kid, I kid."

"Sure you do." She moves closer to him, hooking an arm around his.

They spend the rest of the walk in silence.

After a few minutes, they reach Starbucks.

"Ladies first," he says as he motions for her to enter first.

She smiles shyly before she complies.

There weren't a lot of people inside, probably because it's already nearing 11:00 pm.

"What's your coffee order?" he asks her.

"Whatever it is you're having, just not too sweet, okay?" she smiles, eyes twinkling.

"Alright. Go get a table for us, okay?"

She does as she's told and waits for him as he joins the short line. She looks outside as thoughts start to flood her mind.

She feels more attached to Finn now. He's a really nice guy, and easy to be with. She may have met him only a few hours ago, but she feels different around him. Sure, he's a stranger, but he's also _not_, in a way.

He makes her feel safe. It's almost like they've been friends for a long time and now they're just catching up on one another.

She feels attached to him, and she starts to crave to know more about this guy, hence she agreed to get coffee with him.

She's so grateful that he'd come to her show. Santana was there, too, and she couldn't be happier.

Finn watched, from afar, the lovely, talented, and really, really nice brunette who seems to be deep in thought. Finn is completely spell-bound by her character and personality.

One of his favorite things about her is that she's very simple. She doesn't seem to live the whole _hey-I'm-a-celebrity-so-don't-touch-me _kind of life. He's glad she's different from most types of celebrities.

He can't help but compare her to Quinn. Quinn is a wonderful girl, too. And he admits that once, he fell really in love with the girl.

She's this pretty blonde that has a not-that-typical personality. She's not the friendliest, but when you get to know her better, you'd realize that she's not so bad after all. Though sometimes demanding and ambitious, she's a nice girl when she wants to be like one.

He doesn't really know what exactly happened to their relationship. They just felt that something between them was just 'off', and next thing they know, they've broken up. They're still friends, though.

He even hears that she's seeing Noah Puckerman now, the guy with the Mohawk, he recalls. It hits him that they actually fit each other; the badass guy and the demanding girl.

"May I take your order, sir?" the girl behind the counter asks him.

"Oh, yes, please," he steps forward and tells the girl his order.

Once he got the cups, he walked over to Rachel. She doesn't seem to notice him as he maneuvers in front of her.

"Uh, Miss, is this seat taken?" he asks her.

She looks up at him in surprise. "Finn! You startled me!"

"I know, you should've seen the look on your face, it's priceless." He chuckles, handing over her coffee.

She glares at him before reaching for her cup and muttering a "thank you".

"My pleasure," he says, winking at her.

She blushes and shakes her head, smiling to herself.

"So, Rachel, tell me more about yourself."

"Hm," she taps a finger on her chin in concentration. "About what stuff would you want to know?"

He grins. "Everything."

She giggles. "Well, come closer, I'll tell you a secret."

Intrigued, he leans closer as she whispers, "Finn," she starts, voice so husky that it sent chills all over Finn's body. "I'm a Broadway actress." She chuckles.

He pulls back. "Yeah, I totally don't know that yet, huh?" he remarks sarcastically.

Her chuckle turns to a laugh. "Well, where do we start? Ask me."

"Okay, uhm, basics first."

"Okay. As you know, my name is Rachel Barbra Berry. I live here in New York for 14 years now. I'm 24 years old and I have two dads."

He raises his eyebrows in a totally not offending way, which makes Rachel feel good.

"You do?"

"Yes. My biological mother left me when I was still a baby and she never came back. I never really got the chance to know her." She sighs.

He takes a sip of his coffee in time she does, too. He reaches out and takes her hand in his. "It's okay, you're lucky compared to me. I didn't know my dad, but you, you have _two_ of them. My dad died when I was still an infant. I've only seen him in pictures."

She smiles solemnly then squeezes his hand.

"Okay," she says, taking a deep breath. "Enough with the drama. Tell me about _you._ You know, the basic information first."

He smiles at her. "Well, I'm Finn Christopher Hudson. I live here in New York for about 3 years now. I'm 25 years old and my height is 6'3."

"Yeah, you're very tall," she states. "Anyway, what do you do for a living?"

"I own a music shop nearby," he says.

Her eyes widen slightly. "You do? Why haven't you told me before?"

"Well, aside from the fact that we met just a couple of hours ago, I guess it must've slipped out of my mind."

"Oh, yeah, my bad. Anyway, so, you like music?"

"Yes, very much so, I grew up with it," he answers enthusiastically.

She gasps dramatically. "Tell me more!" she demands.

He chuckles. "Well, I pretty much live with music. I play the drums. And the guitar," he says simply.

"Oh. My. Gosh. Do you sing?"

"A little bit."

She claps her hands in euphoria. "We should do a duet soon!"

"Fat chance." he teases. "I don't sing in front of a lot of people. My friends tried to convince me once, but they never managed to make me agree. And you can't, too."

"Watch me." She says, determined. "You said you only lived her in New York for about 3 years. Well, where is your home, Finn?"

"Hm, I figured my apartment is about 4 streets from here." He said as he sips his coffee yet again.

"No," she says, giggling. "I mean – where is your, y'know, _real_ home? Before New York and all that."

"_Oh,_" he says in comprehension. "I used to live in this small town called Lima, Ohio. Quite away from here."

"I used to live in Columbus, Ohio 10 years ago!" she exclaims.

He snorts. "Small world, I guess."

"What made you move, then?" she looks up at him, gaze intent on his whiskey eyes, and he feels like she's staring right through his soul.

"My dreams. I wanted to pursue my dreams, and New York popped into my head, and then I started here. Along with Kurt."

"Mmhm," she hums in response. "I moved here for almost the same reason."

"Almost?" he quirks his left brow on her.

"Uh-huh. I had basically three reasons why I'd ended up here in New York. First being that my parents wanted to move here, too. Second is because I want to pursue my dreams of being a Broadway Star — which, gladly, I've managed to accomplish — and, third, it was because of love, I guess. Or maybe the idea of love." Her eyes suddenly glaze over, guarded.

He sits up straight and then draws his seat forward as he leans in, their legs touching under the table; his face merely inches away from hers.

"Hey," he murmurs. "You don't have to tell me about it if you don't want to."

Her lower lip trembles lightly. And by the way her eyes glisten, she's fighting back tears.

"No, no," she says as she shakes her head. He shows a confused expression, so she continues, "I – It's not that I don't want to tell you. I do want to. I just – I don't feel like this is the right time, you know? Not to mention the place we're in right now."

He glances around, and yes, there are still quite a few people. "O – Okay. If only you are sure, that is. I don't want you to think that I'm pushing you or anything."

"No, of course not."

"Now, try and smile for me, baby," he says. He doesn't seem to notice the slip of his tongue, and neither does she, so she does as she's told; she tries a smile, which ends up looking so _forced._

He laughs slightly, 'cause no matter what she does, he'd always find that certain something beautiful.

She notices his gaze on her, then asks abruptly, "What is it, Finn?" She starts to cover her face, "Oh my gosh, I have dirt on my face, huh?"

Smiling softly, he shakes his head. "No, no. Nothing, you're – you're just _so beautiful, _you know that? And to think of it, I expected this day to be as typical as the others, probably even more crappy, but then I met you."

Deep crimson rises on her cheeks. "Walk me home?" she asks.

He nods fervently, standing up and helps her to do so, too, cup in hand. As they walk to the door, she takes one last sip of her coffee then threw it in the trashcan nearby.

Her apartment is about a good 10-minute walk from Starbucks, so that shouldn't be long, not really.

;-;-;

They stop in front of her apartment building.

He waits for her to ask him to, y'know, to —

"Do you – Maybe you wanna…" she struggles.

"_Yes._" He says almost eagerly. "I mean, yeah, why not?"

She chuckles and led him up to the second floor of the building with her.

They reach her door and she starts to fiddle with her keys. He's expecting to see a grand apartment, with these really expensive furniture and celebrity stuff.

However, when the door swings open, he was met by an unfamiliar yet cozy and simple place. The apartment contained three rooms and there were stuff involving music everywhere, and he fucking loves the place.

"Your apartment's nice," he compliments as she makes her way to her small kitchen to pour both of them a glass of water each.

"Yeah?" she calls out. "You think so? I mean, I know it's not very much celebrity-like, but I thought it's cozy, and that's what I want."

He settles on her soft couch. "Yeah, I like it, too. You live here alone? No helpers?" he calls back to the kitchen.

She emerges from the kitchen, tray of food and glasses of water in her hands. "I don't have helpers. It's not like I need any, anyways." She says, sitting beside him and putting the tray on top of the table in front of them.

He grins at her simplicity, and he felt butterflies in his stomach when she touches his arm slightly. "Hey, Finn?"

"Yeah?"

"Are we – are we friends?"

He turns his head to look at her straight in the eyes. "Yeah," he states seriously, "if you want me to be your friend, that is."

She beams, "Oh, I very much want to." She huffs her bangs off her forehead. "Thank you."

"No biggie," he says with nonchalance. "You're cool, Rach. You're not like other celebrities that have this bratty attitude and personality."

She smiles shyly. "Why, thank you," she grabs a cookie from the tray as she holds it up to him, "Cookie?"

He chuckles at her adorableness as he shakes his head politely. "No, thank you."

She shrugs then eats the cookie herself. Finn watches, and she's almost finished eating it as he speaks again –

"Hey, you have a little –" he scoots closer to her as he brushes his thumb on the top of her lip, getting rid of the crumbs there. "There you go."

She starts to breathe heavily 'cause his face is barely an inch away from hers. They gaze at each other, neither of them moving. He's so close that she can feel his hot breath blow on her face.

"Rachel…" he says, voice husky. "I'm gonna kiss you now, okay?"

She opens her mouth to respond — to say _okay _— but all she could do was give him a small nod.

Getting the response he was longing for, he inches closer until he felt her lips on his. Soft, full, and sweet.

Her breath hitches as he felt his lips on hers: firm, gentle, and full of emotions.

She pulls away eventually, a smile tugging on her lips. He's smiling, too.

"Um, that was…" she trailed off, searching for the right word.

"Perfect," he supplies.

She blushes but grins nonetheless.

He reaches a hand out to stroke her cheek gently.

She leans into his touch so that his hand is now cupping her left cheek, his thumb rhythmically running across it. She feels so content with him close to her.

"Hey," she whispers sweetly. "It's getting pretty late, you know. Aren't you supposed to head home yet?

He the wall clock in the hallway to see the time — twelve-forty AM.

He nods slowly. "I suppose I should," he grunts, not really wanting to leave yet.

She giggles. "Come on, this is not the last time we'll see each other," she cheers. "Plus, Kurt will be too unhappy if he knew that you're staying this late out."

"But he's not my mother," he whines. "Besides, I don't live with him."

"You don't?"

"I don't," he confirms.

"Oh."

He smirks, "so… Can I stay longer?"

She shakes her head, giggling at the pleading look on his face. "No. But I'll see you tomorrow at your music shop. Just give me directions; I don't have any shows tomorrow."

"But my shop is closed at Sundays!" he protests.

"Don't be such a baby, Finny."

"Finny? Seriously?" he asks. She nods teasingly. "Fine, call me whatever you want," he says in defeat. "It's true, though. My shop is closed at Sundays."

"Then you'll open it tomorrow," she declares smugly.

"_What?_" he exclaims incredulously. "Are you for real? I use my Sundays to relax!"

She crosses her arms across her chest. "Then you aren't relaxing tomorrow."

"But _why?_" he questions ridiculously.

She pinches the sides of his face. For a big guy, he certainly knows how to look adorable. "Just _because_, Finny-Bear." She stood up and beckons for him to do the same. "Now shoo, we must get some rest."

He mutters something under his breath but obeys regardless.

Just before he opens the door to make his way out, he hears Rachel call him.

"Finn?" she murmurs.

He turns to her, and suddenly he's being pulled down and his lips were once again on hers.

They break apart and she greets him a "Goodnight".

He grins dumbly at her. "Goodnight, Rach. I'll call you tomorrow."

Her face brightens up as she nods happily and watches as the door closed behind him.

It's official, then: she's falling for one Finn Christopher Hudson.

;-;-;

He exits her apartment with a goofy smile on his face.

It immediately hits him that he's falling head over heels in love with one Rachel Barbra Berry.

He can't wait for tomorrow.

* * *

><p><strong><em>PLEASE REVIEW!<em>**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

She's exhausted. She's had such a looooonnnngggg day; regardless, she had fun, not to mention she had met Finn Hudson.

Finn Hudson. The name itself makes the butterflies in her stomach flutter and makes her feel this weird, happy feeling.

_Gosh_, it's only been a day and she already likes him _so much._ She wonders if he likes her just as much as she likes him.

Okay, time for shower. Her body is aching, 'cause _come on,_ she's just worked her butt off at the show tonight; but for the record, it was _so_ worth it (especially because Finn and Santana were there.)

Only then did she stop dead in her tracks, realizing that she's still wearing Finn's suit jacket (seriously, how can she not notice?) She quickly snatched her phone that's resting on top of her nightstand and dialed Finn's number.

She smiles when he picked up at the second ring.

"_Hey, Rach." _ She can hear that his breathing is kind of ragged, and she got curious why.

"Finn, hi. Are you okay? You're kind of breathing hard."

"_Yeah, I'm perfectly fine. I was running from the kitchen to get the phone when it rang," _he explains, _"What's up?" _ he asks.

"Oh, yes! About my call… Um, I-I was just gonna tell you that, um, you forgot your jacket with me. I-I mean, you forgot to get it, and I forgot to return it, so…" she trails off before she starts rambling.

"_So it's not returned," _he supplies, chuckling.

"Yeah," she agrees.

"_It's okay, I can get it tomorrow."_

"Right. I'll see you, then?" she questions for assurance.

She almost can picture him grinning at the other end. _"Of course, I can't quite wait, actually," _he says excitedly. _"I'll just call you, okay?"_

"Okay," she replies simply, not really knowing what more to add at the statement.

"_Okay," _he echoes.

"Okay," she repeats.

"_Okay," _he says, chuckling at the silliness of the situation but also not wanting to hang up yet.

"Goodnight, Finny," she says wryly.

He groans quietly. _"Okay, goodnight, Rach-y," _he answers sarcastically, but smiling to himself nonetheless.

She laughs at that, already looking forward to seeing him tomorrow.

"_Sweet dreams, alright Princess?"_

"Of course," she smiles. "You too."

"_Um, yeah, okay," _he says, voice kind of shaky, as if he's suddenly uncertain on what to say next. _"I really like you, by the way," _he breathes nervously.

She blushes, and then nods even though he can't really see her. "I like you too, Finn," she responds with a giggle.

"_Awesome,"_ he says. _"I'll let you go now. To sleep, I mean. I'll see you tomorrow."_

"Okay." And with that, she hung up the call, heading to the shower to get fresh before going to bed.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Okay, I know this is really short and it probably sucked, but in my defense, I wasn't really supposed to post today, but the urge to do so occurred to me, so I did! It was sort of a rushed post. ;)_

**Please leave a Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

She woke up to the ringing of her phone.

She glances at her clock— six-thirty am. She sighs. Seriously? It's so early and she finds it very deploring because it's _Sunday._

Grunting, she grabs her phone and checks the ID.

The number's unknown, making her frown deeply. She taps answer.

"Hello?" she says in a hoarse voice.

"_Rachel?" _the person on the opposite line calls out.

She frowns deeper, not having any idea who this person is and not really knowing how it had known her name. "Yes, who's this?" she asks.

"_Well, I am appalled that you cannot recognize my voice, Ms. Streisand," _the person on the other line teases.

Oh.

_Oh._

Kurt. That's definitely Kurt. "Kurt?" she guesses.

"_Yes, that would be meeeeee," _he sing-songs, making her giggle.

"Sorry, I don't have your number saved in my phone, so…" she says.

"_I know, I know. Me not knowing your number and _Finn _knowing it kind of upsets me," _he tells her, mocking disappointment and a bit of annoyance.

"Sorry," is all she says with a slight giggle. She can't really think of any more to add.

"_Anyhow, since the subject itself was sort of brought up already, I'm gonna ask you to spill now."_

Spill? "Spill? Spill what?" she queries confusedly.

"_Oh, don't pretend that you don't know, Maria," _Kurt reprimands over the phone.

"What? I really, _really _have no idea what you're talking about," and it's true, what is Kurt trying to get her to spill?

"_About you and Finn, lady," _Kurt clarifies.

"Oh, I see," she nods in understanding. "What's up with me and Finn?"

"_I heard you were together last night," _Kurt states matter-of-factly. _"You mind telling me what's going on with that?"_

"We were together last night," she admits dreamily, smiling softly at the memory. "And we're actually seeing each other today, for your information."

"_By the tone of that voice of yours, looks like somebody's excited."_

She smiles widely to herself. "As a matter of fact, I really am excited," she says. What's there to keep, right? Besides, Kurt's kind of his best friend now (well, next to Santana.) "Wait. How did you get my number? I don't remember giving it to you."

"_What's the point of Finn being my stepbrother if I can't ask things from him, right?"_

Oh. "Of course he gave it to you, I should have guessed that. Are you with him right now?" she asks.

"_I am indeed. He told me to come over, because apparently he's opening his shop today. I was actually surprised that he managed to get up as early as six o'clock."_

She giggles yet again; yeah, she already guessed that Finn's not that much of a morning person.

"Oh. So I see you'd be with him later at his shop?"

"_Yes, yes, unfortunately. I don't even know what came to him; he doesn't open his shop at Sundays!"_

"I-I'm kind of the one to blame there," she confessed

"_What do you mean?"_

"_I mean, _I was the one to tell him to open today. I wanted to see his happy place. Where he displays all varieties of music and all that."

"_I see. You like him, don't you?" _Kurt asked, his voice hinting seriousness.

"I-I do."

"_He likes you, too, you know. Even if he doesn't tell me directly."_

"Why do you say so, Kurt?" she asks curiously, that tinge of euphoria hitting her.

"_He's very… gleeful, this morning. Haven't seen him like that ever. Not even with Quinn."_

Quinn? Who's Quinn?

"Quinn who?" she questions.

"_You haven't heard about Quinn?"_

"No, I have not."

She thinks, though, that Quinn may be Finn's….. past. Maybe Quinn's his last girlfriend.

"_Oh. But it's not my place to tell you about her, so I'll let you go now. I'm sure he'd tell you eventually. Today, even. Just wait, okay?"_

"Okay." Okay, she can do that. She's not gonna push him into saying anything. She completely understands how the past can hurt anyone.

"_Okay. Bye, Rachel. I'll see you later at Finn's shop by eight o'clock. I'll send you the directions later."_

"Okay, thank you!"

She hops off the bed and makes breakfast singing to herself.

And then there's a knock on the door. She goes over to open it.

"Good morning," Santana greets in a bored tone.

"San, what are you doing here?" Rachel asks, stepping aside to let her best friend inside.

"Rachel, I live here, too, in case you forgot." The Latina plops herself down on the couch.

Oh, my. She did; well, sort of. "I just thought you'd be at Brittany's until tomorrow."

"I was going to be, but that was until I heard that frankenteen was here last night."

"He-he was," Rachel replies, blushing.

"Look at you, you're blushing, woman," Santana snickers.

"Stop it, San."

"So, you did the dirty yet?" Santana asks, wriggling her brows while smiling.

Rachel gasps dramatically. "I am scandalized that you would even deem that notion."

Santana laughs. "Please, Ray, stop being so dramatic. And in case you gots plans with frankenteen today, I'd be out here by the time." And then the Latina fakes a pout, adding, "I knew you would replace me with some guy in no second."

Rachel rolls her eyes. "And you call me dramatic," she retorts to Santana.

"Can you really blame me if living with you is kinda getting under my skin? Of course I'd be affected by your dramatics and learn some from them," Santana says. "Anyway, what do you plan on doing today? And why are you up _so early _on a freaking Sunday?"

"Nosy much, San?"

"No," Santana denies. "I just want to know if I must really get myself out of this apartment."

"That wouldn't be necessary. I'm visiting Finn's shop. I probably won't be back until late night."

"Somebody's _in loooooove_," Santana teases.

"We're getting to know each other, Santana."

"Right, but you can't really prevent me from thinking that this day will end up on both of you banging all night."

Rachel just rolls her eyes in disbelief and heads back to the kitchen to get her food.

Oh, this will be one heck of a day.

* * *

><p>Blue dress? Purple? Black? Or should she go with a white, flowy blouse and skinny jeans to remain simple?<p>

Rachel never thought choosing something to wear would be this hard. She just wants to look nice and presentable enough to see Finn.

She made her decision and went with the blouse and jeans instead. Finn won't judge her, right? No, she doubts it.

Blouse and jeans it is.

* * *

><p>She ties her hair up to a ponytail, small layers of hair strands falling to frame her face. As usual, she put on a scarf and her hat to hide her face. Although she would be fine to be seen by people being with Finn, she's not sure if <em>Finn <em>won't mind. She's afraid it might make him feel uncomfortable.

She exits her apartment, leaving Santana there, and hails a cab.

She's actually kind of happy that the cab driver doesn't recognize her when she gave him the directions she got from Kurt awhile ago.

"_Finn, I'm on my way to your shop. –R" _she types and sends.

"_Okay. Waiting for you, beautiful. -F" _she gets as a response.

As she spots a music shop ahead of them, she can't help but feel kind of excited.

She's so excited to see Finn.

FinnFinnFinnFinnFinn.

Oh, my. She's likes likes likes Finn so so so so much already. She can't wait to see how the day plays out.

* * *

><p>TBC.<p>

I'd be updating this alternately with my other fic, **_"Flash Me a Smile"_**. But I'm working on a **new one-shot**, so it might take a while!

**Please leave a Review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"You immediately have to find a person to take over this shop, Finn," Kurt advised, sitting behind the counter and sipping at his morning cup of tea. It's still early, only about nine o'clock in the morning. "I would not always be able to cover for you every single day you plan on going AWOL just to go out with some girl. And I doubt James is available every time, either," he adds, referring to Finn's friend who took over the shop the day before.

"Hey, Rachel isn't just some girl," Finn reprimands.

His statement earns an eye-roll from his step-brother. "I wasn't talking about her," Kurt starts, "but since you have mentioned this yourself, what do you plan on doing with her?" Kurt questioned, eyeing him suspiciously and his face serious.

Finn gulps. "I-What are you talking about?"

"Are you planning on making her your some sort of rebound, Finn?" he asked with an edge in his voice. "Is this what all this is about? Because for goodness' sake, she is an _actress_, Finn, a celebrity, and therefore everything you do with her backfires after being broadcasted on different parts of the world," Kurt tells him exasperatedly, narrowing his eyes at the tall man. "I-I don't want this— whatever it is that you're doing —to end up on either of you getting hurt or heartbroken."

Finn was so caught off guard at what Kurt told him that he barely knew how to think of a response. "I don't plan on playing her," he manages slowly, "I-I like her, Kurt, I thought you knew that already."

"I do, but-"

"I'm still looking forward to knowing her more, Kurt, and if it doesn't work out, then you'd get to tell me _I told you so,_" Finn says, humor visible in his voice now to change the intense atmosphere building up between him and his brother.

Kurt says no more, and as if on cue, Finn's phone vibrates.

_Already standing by the door, and I can see your tall stature from here. :) –R_

He smiles a little, turning his head to the direction of the door, and sure enough, her petite body figure is standing by it. He quickly walks over, opening the door for her, the wind chimes above the glass door clinging softly.

"Rachel, you look great," he compliments after seeing her simple attire.

"You look pleasant yourself," she replied.

"I picked that for him," Kurt chimed in. "Can you believe that that is the only acceptable casual clothing he owns?" he added, incredulity hinting his voice.

Rachel looked over to the source of the voice, seeing Kurt behind the counter. "Kurt!" she sing-songs, running over to her newly close friend.

The pale, short man stood up from his seat and went over to the other side of the counter to hug Rachel, chuckling lightly as he does so.

"Hey Broadway," Kurt greets, pulling back to look at her. "You look fine in those very simple pieces of clothing, which makes me wonder how in the world are you a celebrity if you don't wear glamorous items every sing time," he teases.

She giggles again, but then when she looked back and forth between Kurt and Finn, she noticed a tense surrounding between the two.

"Did I… interrupt something?" she asked them slowly.

"Oh, no, you did no such thing," Kurt denies, walking over behind the counter again. "I would be taking over Finn's shop today."

"Oh?" Rachel queried.

"Uh, yeah. Um, I-I was planning a day for us. Y-you know, take a stroll or something," Finn says. "So, um, let's go?" he asked her without looking at Kurt.

She's feeling nosy and utterly confused. What's up with the two of them? But she agrees to go nonetheless, figuring that it's for the greater-good of them. Plus, she does want to spend the rest of the day with Finn. (not that she'd tell anyone that)

"Okay, I suppose," she answered, looking over at Kurt one last time. "I'll see you around, Kurt," she says, and Kurt nods in reply, so she walked over the door with Finn and they exited the shop together.

(*-*)

"So…" she starts after buckling her seatbelt beside Finn in his car.

They're gonna go to Santana's diner first and hang there, and then he said that they're gonna go around, like go to Central Park or something.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," Finn tells her, settling properly on the driver's seat and starts up the engine.

"It's fine," she replies, "but what was that about? It seemed tense."

"It was."

Getting the hint that he doesn't want to elaborate any further, she stays silent and doesn't push him.

"I'm sorry," he repeats.

"Finn, it's okay, I told you. You didn't even do anything."

"I know, but I'm still sorry," he says, driving down the street and turning to the way over to the diner.

When they finally reach it, he hops out of the car, his awkward mood no longer there. He opened Rachel's door on her side of the car for her with a smile on his face, and she smiles back, wondering how a man can be so good-looking.

(*-*)

Santana wasn't there in her diner, which leaves Carlos, her appointed temporary manager, in charge.

Even though the Latina isn't there, though, Rachel and Finn still hang around, Finn ordering cheesecake for both of them.

"Oh, crap, I forgot you are vegan," Finn apologizes.

"It's okay, I give myself a little treat every once in a while," she said, winking.

Finn feels something. _Something. _Something unusual. Something he only feels when with her.

(*-*)

They finished eating a little while after that and decided not to stay longer and go to Central Park instead, so Finn drove there. When they reached it, they plopped themselves at a bench near Bow Bridge.

"So… can we talk about our pasts now?" Finn starts, to her surprise. He moves closer to her, resting a hand on her thigh.

"O-Okay," she stutters, feeling quite anxious.

"Okay. Um, you ask me first what you want to know."

"Sure," she nodded, "but promise me you won't be uncomfortable?"

He nods his consent, "I would try to be as comfortable about the conversation as I can," and as if to make sure that everything's swell, he gives her a sly grin, his eyes twinkling slightly.

"Um, Finn… Will it be alright if we start with… Quinn?"

* * *

><p>TBC.<p>

**Please Leave A Review! They are much appreciated!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

He's quite caught off guard by Rachel's abrupt question. Oh. Quinn. She wanted to start their conversation with Quinn Fabray.

But, wait. How did she even know about Quinn? How did she know that a girl named Quinn existed— still exists— in his life? He doesn't remember telling Rachel anything about his blonde ex-girlfriend.

Well, it's not like he was planning on never telling her; it's just that the thought of Quinn just barely occurs to him from the moment he got acquainted with Rachel Berry. (Which is literally just yesterday, he knows, but like he said, there's something about her that makes him feel so attached, so attracted.)

"Um, Finn?" Rachel called out to him, trying to gain his attention.

Oh, he spaced out a bit. "How did you know Quinn?" he asked the brunette in front of him.

"I don't know her," Rachel states matter-of-factly. She doesn't know Quinn, technically, she just heard about her.

"Then how did you know about her?" he asked next, his brows knitted together ever so lightly, curiosity and confusion visibly mixed and etched on his handsome face.

"Does it matter?" Rachel fired, getting a little impatient.

"I-I guess not," Finn says diffidently.

Rachel sighs. "Look, if you don't want to tell me about your ex-girlfriend, then it's fine, just tell me so that I would not wait for some sort of an answer from you, looking like an idiot," she huffed.

Oh, crap. No. That was totally not his intention. No, no, no, not at all.

He tried to backpedal. "N-no! It's not like that. I'm one hundred percent fine with telling you about Quinn," he told the brunette.

Rachel's façade changed from a frown to a small smile. "Really?"

"Of course," he nods, "besides, it's not like my relationship with her was full of drama."

"Oh, tell me, then," Rachel urged on.

He braced himself, taking a deep breath. He's about to tell Rachel Berry a notable piece of his past. It's okay, though; he figured that if he wants to be closer to Rachel, he has to show vulnerability, little by little.

He doesn't know where to start, however, so he asked, "Hm, where do I start?"

"The beginning is always good," the brunette offered wryly.

"Oh, um, okay," he clears his throat, "As you might have already known, Quinn is my previous girlfriend. Quinn Fabray. She's a typical girl, really. With quite a tall stature, blonde hair, sweet but icy voice, cute smile, green eyes— she's pretty," he described, letting the vulnerability take over. "She was my high school sweetheart, in fact," he chuckled at the memory, "But I remember breaking up with her senior year, because at high school I was basically just dating her for popularity, and she also did vice versa. She was head cheerleader, and I was the football quarterback, so the two of us dating was kind of what everyone in school expected, do you know what I mean?"

She nodded, listening to each word he says. She swears to herself that she falls more for him in every word that comes out of his mouth. She's grateful that Finn is opening up to her; he's slowly unwrapping important information about himself, and she greatly appreciates that.

"So, yeah, I broke up with her senior year because after realizing that we were technically using each other for some stupid reputation, I was a jerk back then, and she was mean," he continued.

"So, how did you find your way back to one another?" she asked him, offering a genuine smile to encourage him to go on.

She really is interested to hear his story— Finn noticed. He likes that; at least she isn't dramatic enough to make that much big of a deal about a person's personal past.

He smiled back at her, indicating, "You really are interested, huh?"

She laughs a little, eyes closed while shaking her head. She looks completely adorable and she doesn't even know it. "Of course I am," she said. "If I want to get to know you more, then I have to lend you my ears when you speak and tell me something about you, right?" she added wryly.

He grinned. "We got back together sophomore year in college," he began again. "We went to the same University, reconciled, and started dating again, this time for real."

Rachel nodded again. She then balanced her chin atop her folded hands, looking at him straight in the eyes. "Amidst all the years we shared together, we shared a lot of break-ups," he confessed. "We were quite a complicated couple; we experienced a bunch of bumps along the road, and Quinn is a total bitch when she wants to be, so she picks up arguments over the littlest things," he told Rachel.

"That's… That's terrible," she replied.

"It was, absolutely was," he agreed. "But somehow, after all those, we always find ourselves back to each other, and then the same crappy cycle of our crazy relationship goes on again: fights over nonsense things, jealousy over normal things, and whatnot," he stated, "It all continued, and I started to feel like we lack passion anymore— or that we never really had passion for each other, and then she grew very secluded towards me— like she's hiding something, so I decided to officially break things off with her last month," he finished.

She hums in response. "Are you still friends?" she asked; he nods. "You had somewhat a roller-coaster of a relationship, huh?" she teased. And then her voice changed from playful to serious, "Do you miss her, Finn?" she asked.

"Would you hate me if I said a little bit?" he asked back, albeit he has this amused smirk and twinkle in his eyes.

She shakes her head, slowly ducking with a mischievous grin. "No, no, of course not."

He chuckles. "You're cool, Rach. I really like you."

Her head snapped up at his confession, her chocolate brown eyes meeting his whiskey ones. "I feel the same, honestly," she admits, her tone grave, sincere, her eyes trained in his intently.

He grinned yet again. "Really?"

"Really," she says.

"Awesome," he remarks. She smiles shyly.

Silence. Silence. Silence.

"So… I guess it's time for your story?" Finn asked slowly.

* * *

><p>TBC.<p>

If you have the time, please check out my other stories. Thank you!

**Please Review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

He noticed that her façade changed slightly. She kind of stiffens at the subject of _her _past relationship being brought up. She still manages a small smile when she catches his eyes, though, and he takes that as a very good sign. Like, at least she's a bit more comfortable around him now than last night, right? Right.

Central Park is surprisingly a bit empty. Albeit this fact, he offered to take her to a more private place.

"Hey, we could go somewhere more secluded, if that's what you would prefer," he tells her gently.

She agrees, and then the next thing they know, they're inside his apartment.

The space is astonishing; full of things related to music. There are also pieces of art everywhere: posters, pictures, paintings, some instruments, CDs, song books, etc. "Wow, your apartment is _way_ bigger than mine," Rachel says with a smile as she looks around, following Finn towards his colossal (but very clean) kitchen.

He smiles slyly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, well, Kurt kind of picked this place out for me." He opened his fridge to get a carton of apple juice out.

"Apple juice or coffee?" he asked while pouring himself a glass of juice.

"Coffee would be wonderful." She sat at the stool beside his kitchen counter.

"Then coffee it is." He took a small drink at his glass then put it down to set the coffeemaker.

He leans his back a little to the sink, winking playfully at her when he caught her gaze. She blushes, looking down while biting her lip to hide a grin.

After a few, the coffee is set, and Finn asked softly if she wants to start her story now as he pours the dark brown liquid into a mug (that has a small note marked on its handle; is everything here scripted with music?).

She nods her head, thanking him when he handed her over her coffee. He settled on the stool beside her, turning his body a bit to the right so that he's fully facing her beautiful demeanour.

She contemplates for a moment, seemingly deliberating where to begin. Finally, she spoke, "Do you remember last night?" she enquired.

"Yes," he grins. "How could I forget the best night of my life?" His grin widens when he saw her blush again.

She emits a giggle and slapped his arm lightly. "Yes, one of my favourites, too, but that's not the point, Mr.! This is supposed to be a dramatic situation, isn't it?" she mock glares at him.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry," he amends. "Continue, Madame," he teased.

She shakes her head with a smile. "What I meant is," she began when she sobered up, "do you remember last night, how I told you about me moving here in New York partially because of _the idea of love_?"

"Yes," he nodded slowly.

"Back in Columbus, I had this friend of mine. Best friend, even," she tells him with a hint of sadness laced with disappointment. He reaches out to grasp her hand in his, intertwining their fingers and giving it a small squeeze. Rachel smiles at the form of heartening.

"His name is Adrian," she continued. "We were best of friends since we were about four years old," she adds. "And then when we were ten his family moved here, and mine heard, so we moved here, too. Mine and Adrian's parents are close, too. So when we moved, I was _so_ delighted, because at least I'd still be with Adrian— only this time, in my dream city. It all seemed perfect.

"We lived across each other's apartment; I remember that, because every day I would go to theirs or vice versa." She managed a smile at the memory. "It turns out that New York is his dream city, also.

"We went to the same school in High School, of course. And at fifteen I found out that I like him, because we were just _very_ compatible. I have mistaken my infatuation to be love, considering my immature age.

"So at sixteen, he surprised me when he asked me out, and the fool of me agreed, so the next thing we know, I'm his girlfriend and he's my boyfriend.

"We were happy, for awhile. We went to the same University, you see, just like you and Quinn."

He chuckles. "Cliché, huh?"

She nods her approval. "Quite." Then she continued to the main part, "When we were at junior year in college, we decided to test out fate and audition for something off-Broadway. Adrian love musicals, like me," she says, "and he could _really _sing.

"So we auditioned, not expecting anything. _I thought_ we both did great."

"You thought?" he repeats in question.

"Yes, _I _thought. The director apparently doesn't agree with me," she says solemnly. "So I got accepted, and the offer was pretty big."

"And Adrian wasn't?" he asked. She looks at him in confusion for a moment. "Accepted, I mean," he clarified.

"Oh. He wasn't. He took the situation badly. He was _so _mad at everyone, but to me the most, so he broke up with me."

"That's absurd, you didn't do anything," Finn protests.

"Exactly," she says, "He thought I didn't do anything to help him. He insisted that I only thought about myself and when he got rejected, he thought I didn't do anything to get the director to reconsider." A tear slips on her cheek. "So when he knew that I accepted the role, he moved out. Asked his parents for money and moved out of the city. He hated me; he erased all the connections I could have of him.

"I was devastated, for awhile. But then when I came to my senses, I realized that I don't love him. I was infatuated with him, but never in love," she declared. "So I decided to carry on and move on in life. A few months later the show I was in moved on Broadway, and I have been Rachel Berry, the famous Broadway actress."

He chuckles. "Wow, you had quite a journey."

"I know." She can smile now; she is visibly appreciative of the fact that she now has someone she could trust with that certain information about her. Aside from Santana, Finn is the only friend of hers that she's told about her past relationship with Adrian.

"You really are perfect," he told her honestly.

"You're only saying that because you want to make me feel better."

"No," he disagrees. "It's true."

She leans in with a shy and slightly nervous smile, and he starts leans in, too, and their lips brush lightly at first, then firmly next.

Both felt sparks.

* * *

><p>TBC.<p>

Also, check out my other stories if you have time!

**Working on another fic which is a bit angst-y. Deciding on whether or not I should ever post it; what do you think?**

**Please Review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I am really sorry for the lack of update for almost a month! I had a writer's block, but thankfully I got over it and was able to write this chapter. If it doesn't live up to your expectations, I'm truly sorry, I tried (and will continue trying) to make it up to you! Nonetheless, I'll stop ranting now and let you carry on reading.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>He takes her out one night for a stroll around the streets of the city after eating in an infamous Italian restaurant.<p>

It's been about two months and a half since they met now, and they've been to a couple of dates (with kisses shared here and there frequently), but they've never called out on what they are yet, seeing as Rachel is very much still a famous person and starting a relationship can possibly put her name on the line. It's just going to make things a tad bit chaotic for her (and also for him to some extent).

"You know, I'm glad I met you," she tells him as they walk their way nearer to the park, her right arm looped around his left one while they walk on the pavement, streets lit up with street lights. She smiles contently; it's a pretty night, she thinks.

He looks down at her with a crooked grin playing on his mouth. "Why is that?"

"You're a wonderful person," she says. "A lot of people tried to ask me out over the past few years, but those guys are either after my money and fame, or sometimes they're just a little too different for my liking," she adds.

He chuckles. "Hey, opposites attract, don't they?" he teases.

Rachel nudges his side lightly. "But in all seriousness, I'm truly glad I met you."

"And _I'm_ truly glad I met you, Madame."

She looks up at him. "You're something more, Finn, something special," she murmurs, her eyes adoring the man next to her as they slow down their pace.

"I sure hope that's a good thing," he replies.

She nods. "It is, it very much is."

"_Miss Rachel Berry!_"

Both turned around in time to see a little girl no older than seven years old head their way.

Rachel pulls away from Finn to walk up to the girl.

"Hello, cutie," she greets the girl, leaning down so that their faces are in level. Finn walks up behind her, watching as Rachel interacted with the small cute blonde.

"What's your name?" Rachel asks with a bright smile.

The girl smiles shyly. "My name's Francesca, but my mommy and daddy call me Frances," the girl pronounced.

"Why hello there, Frances, you're a very pretty girl," Rachel tells her, and then she turns to look over at Finn, and beckons him to lean down also and join her conversation with the girl. "Where's your mommy?"

Francesca pouts. "Mommy's at home because daddy is the one who picked me up from dance lessons and then we went to the store and he bought me ice cream but I dropped it when I ran to you," she explains, pointing to where she ran from, and sure enough there's ice cream thrown on the ground.

"_Francesca, Princess, did you see Miss Rachel?_"

They all look up to see a tall, tanned man, who, after seeing Rachel, turned a bit red-faced.

Rachel stood up. "Good evening, sir, you must be Francesca's father," she says, smiling at the man genuinely, and Finn stands up, too.

The man rubs at the back of his neck when he caught sight of Finn, realizing that his daughter interrupted something. "That would be me. I'm sorry if my daughter bothered both of you, but she's just a very big fan of yours."

Rachel smiles sweetly, shaking her head. "Don't be silly, sir, you didn't bother us, right Finn?"

Finn smiles, too. "No, you didn't bother us," he says in a genuine tone.

Rachel turned to the little girl again. "I assume you want me to sign that, then?" she asked when she noticed the small poster in Francesca's hands.

The little girl nods enthusiastically, making Rachel laugh. "I keep this poster in our car so that when my daddy sends me off to school and picks me up again, I see your pretty face," she says adorably. And then she pouts again after Rachel signed the poster and handed it to Francesca's father. "I wish I'm as pretty as you are."

"Aww," Rachel coos. "You're very pretty, too, Frances. You _are_ prettier than me," she tells her.

The girl looks up. "Let's just be as pretty as each other," she blurts out, making Rachel laugh again, Finn joining in.

Francesca turns to look at Finn. "Is he your boyfriend, Miss Rachel Berry?"

"Oh my goodness," Francesca's father exclaims with wide eyes as he yanks the girl towards him. "I'm sorry, she gets too nosy sometimes," her father apologizes.

Rachel offers him a small smile, shaking her head to signify that it's nothing. "It's okay, she's a kid."

"Your boyfriend has a pretty face, too," Francesca cuts in. "But no! Boys aren't pretty . . . They're – They're h – h – handsome! Yes, he has a handsome face."

Finn and Rachel laugh together at the girl's cuteness.

"Okay, Princess, time to go home," her father interrupts. "I'm really sorry Miss Berry," he says one last time before picking up Francesca and carrying her to their car, the little girl waving them goodbye.

Rachel loops her arm around Finn's again then, this time a wider smile on her face as they start walking again.

"You're good with kids." He chuckles. "I can tell that Frances really idolizes you," he adds. "Not as many famous persons are as true as you. Most celebrities are bitches, extremely unlike you."

Rachel giggles, not even reprimanding his choice of language, and definitely not denying the fact that she truly finds children endearing, and to know that she has such a young fan? That's very flattering, for her.

"You truly are the most amazing and most beautiful person I've ever met in my entire life," he tells her seriously.

She looks up at him. "Same goes to you. You're a very charming guy. Like Frances, I, too, think that you have a pretty face," she teased, and they laugh as they reach the park.

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><p>They sat themselves down on these swings they don't even know were there until now, moving themselves back and forth just a little bit. It's a childish kind of thing to do, but they couldn't care any less. They talk about not-so-relevant things, just random thoughts that occur to their minds.<p>

But then Rachel became suspiciously quiet and she stopped swinging.

Finn turned his head in her direction, and he stopped moving also.

"What's wrong?" he asked, worried.

She shakes her head, as if to brush off a silly thought that occurred to her mind.

"Tell me," he insists.

She sighs then, giving in. "What Frances said . . . " she starts hesitantly.

"What about it? She said tons of words," he says teasingly. And then he chuckles. "She's almost as talkative as you are," he tells her playfully, which earns him a pointed look from Rachel. "Jeez, sorry," he amends, an amused twinkle in his eyes. "Seriously, though, which part?"

She turns her gaze then, instead staring in front of them. The park is almost deserted except for those families who probably decided to stay late. It's almost nine o'clock. "About you being my boyfriend," she finally whispers.

Huh. Somehow he hates labels. They kind of make things between two people more complicated.

"I don't know." He shrugs. He honestly doesn't know. He doesn't want to assume anything, just in case those assumptions become brought down and crushed (sounds a bit dramatic for a guy like him, he admits, but whatever). "I don't want to call out on what we are yet, it might make things harder for you and your showbiz life. I mean, if we do start a relationship, won't that build up rumors and things like that and threaten your career?" he asks with concern. Somehow it sounds like a rhetorical question. He sure does know how lives like hers play out.

He's right.

Finn Hudson, the ever considerate person and gentleman. She's utmost grateful that she's met a guy like him. He's a wonderful person, isn't he?

She nods meekly. "I suppose you're right," she agrees. "But something's telling me that I don't care about all that, Finn. Something's telling me that _you_ are the one which matters, not my fame or my life and whatnot," she admits, looking at him again. "I've never felt like this in a long time," she adds, her voice no more than a whisper.

His head snaps up to her direction as he processes her words, a small smile playing on both their lips.

"I don't know, though, because we've been spotted quite a few times over the past month, and photos of the two of us have been running in and about the media. I'm not trying to be selfish or stuff like that," he sighs, "but what if I wasn't able to bear the lack of privacy?"

Her smile fades, then. That must be his way of turning her down, right? Like, that has to be his sign that shows that she's just a friend to him, right? No more than a good friend (who you kiss every now and then).

But, no. Finn isn't like that, or is he?

She starts to feel her heart sink down, then. She wasn't a rebound, right? Right?

Finn must've noticed her deflated form, because he springs up his position and leaned down in front of her. She wouldn't meet his gaze.

"Hey, Rach," he murmurs, tilting her chin up with the use of his forefinger so that she'll be forced to look at him straight in the eyes. "Hey, I didn't – I don't mean that in a bad way. I don't know what your interpretation of my statement was, but judging by your expression, it isn't a good one." He sighs, frustrated at the fact that he can't find the right things to say. He hasn't always been one who is good with words.

"I – I really, _really _like you, Rachel, and I - I am most absolutely _not_ opposed to a relationship with you. I – _god_ – I don't know how to say this."

She laughs a little then, because he just looks so adorable when he so conflicted.

He knits his brows. "Hey, why are you laughing?" he asks, feigning an offended look.

She giggles. "You're cute," she tells him.

"Yeah?" he inquires, quirking up an eyebrow.

She nods with a playful smile. "Yeah."

"I'll tell you a secret, then," he says, brushing off her bangs slightly to the side.

"What?" she asks with wide eyes, her nerves getting the best of her.

"I want to be your boyfriend, or beau, or whatever you famous people want to call your partner," he tells her. She grins. "Would you agree being my ever so lovely girlfriend, Miss Rachel Berry?"

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><p><strong>TBC.<strong>

**I'm back on writing and updating this, so I assume I should also be back on writing and updating _Flash Me a Smile _now.**

**To those loyal readers who were patient enough to wait for my update for this fic, THANK YOU! :) I hope it didn't disappoint.**

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